This Song
by MySilentVoice
Summary: She has something to prove. He wants to find his father. Different dreams, one place to achieve them: Fiore Music Academy. "I still don't understand why you had a mic in your hoodie.", "For emergencies," Natsu shrugged. "Like just now."


**This Song**

_By MySilentVoice_

_Chapter 1_

* * *

><p>Lucy took pride in the fact that she was a gifted girl. Whether it was looks, talent, or smarts, she had it all. But the part of her that she cherished the most was her innate talent and love for music.<p>

That was why, after months of pleading and desperate promises, she finally convinced her father to let her enroll in the prestigious Fiore Music Academy.

"If you're that serious about it, I will grant you your wish. However," Lucy had winced inwardly as he punctuated the word with a glare. She had seen him speak like this with business associates before, dangling the promise in their faces before reeling it out of their reach again with a demand of his own, just like a kiss followed by a slap. "However, if by the end of your first year there, you are unable to make a name for yourself, you will quit immediately and return home to study business."

"A year?" She had spluttered. "How can I possibly do that?"

Jude Heartifilia simply shrugged and picked up a pen. "If you truly desire this, you will make it happen." With a flourish, he signed his name on the dotted line, sealing his end of the deal. Lucy stared at the graceful yet harsh scribble, the last condition required for her enrollment: A guardian's signature.

He laid his pen down and called her name, forcing her to meet his cool, calculative gaze. "You have one year. Make me notice you." He slid the enrollment papers across the desk and Lucy gathered them into her arms, a steely glint in her eyes.

"I will."

* * *

><p>How do I make a name for myself? She pondered this question daily, and was quite frankly, at a loss of how to find the answer. Her erudite mind somehow couldn't find a solution to the problem, and it was, to put it in simple terms, pissing her off.<p>

Currently she sat in a pristine white office, waiting as instructed by a school official who had promptly disappeared for lunch break, leaving Lucy alone with her thoughts.

"Um, are you alright?" A pretty looking face hovered into view as she cracked her eyes open. The face wore an expression of genuine concern, and Lucy quickly smoothed her expression into a friendly one.

"Oh, yes I am." she answered brightly as the girl took a step back and smiled. She was a petite girl with eyes of sweet concern, and her blue hair was secured neatly with a orange headband. Lucy decided instantly that she liked this girl.

The stranger extended a hand towards her. "My name's Levy. You're Lucy right? I've been assigned to be your guide for this week."

Lucy shook the hand warmly. "Nice to meet you. Are you my class rep or something?"

Levy shook her head and gestured for Lucy to stand. She held the office door open as she spoke. "There are no fixed classes here. The classes you take depend on the subjects you choose. Have you chosen yours?"

"Yeah, I have singing, dance, piano, and songwriting."

"Hey, that's the exact same combo as me," Levy smiled, eyes lighting up in surprise. "Looks like we have pretty similar interests." Levy guided her down a cobbled stone path, occasionally pointing out various buildings.

They entered a beautiful garden that was about the size of a football field, and surrounding it were four separate buildings.

"This is the Guild Square. The four buildings are the different guild halls."

"Guild halls?"

"They're a space for each guild. The guilds are something like a group or house system within the academy. Everyone is required to join one," Levy explained. "Members of the same guild will live together, take classes together and compete together. There's also a point system so guild members can raise the guild's standing. At the end of the year, the guild with the most points wins.

"There are four guilds. Fairytail, Sabertooth, Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale." Levy twisted her her body around and pointed to the back of her shoulder. From under her the sleeve of her dress, Lucy could just make out a strange symbol stamped onto her back.

"This is Fairytail's guild mark," Lucy could hear the pride in her Levy's voice. "The best guild of them all, of course."

"Fairytail huh? I wonder which one I will join." Lucy wondered aloud.

"Of course, I'd love it if you join us, but it's not exactly for us to decide," Levy glanced at her watch. "It's time for lunch. Come on, I want you to see today's Chow Time performance."

Levy saw her confused expression and giggled. "Chow Time is what we call the meal time performance slot. Guilds take turns to send out reps to perform in the dining hall during meal times in front of the rest of the student body."

Levy quickened her place, the excitement in her voice evident. "It's Fairytail's turn to perform today. You absolutely have to hear them."

* * *

><p>The dining hall was abuzz with activity. According to Levy, meal times were one of the rare times that one would see the entire student body convene together as one, not divided by guilds.<p>

It seemed as if thousands had gathered in the giant hall, and it wasn't long before Lucy lost track of her new friend. Resigned to eating alone, Lucy collected her lunch and navigated her way through the masses, sighing in relief when she finally found an empty table.

As she chewed on the tasteless broccoli, some movement at the back of the hall caught her eye. She nearly choked on her greens when she saw the massive stage. It appeared to be getting prepared for a performance as stage lights were switched on and microphones set up.

Three boys began to mount the stage with their instruments, and despite the attention they were beginning to draw, they payed no heed as they began preparing themselves.

Lucy was watching one (to her shock) shirtless guy tune his guitar when a lunch tray was slammed onto her table, startling her. Feeling somewhat miffed, she looked up to see a sheepish looking boy who was already pulling out a chair, and another younger boy beside him, looking unsure as he followed his senior's example.

"Sorry to interrupt your lunch," the older boy grinned, not really looking all that apologetic. "We're kinda in a hurry and this is the only table with seats." Apparently satisfied with his own explanation, he began attacking his lunch with a speed Lucy didn't know was humanly possible.

The younger boy beside him rolled his eyes and quickly introduced himself. "I'm Romeo. This is Natsu. You are...?"

"Lucy." She answered unthinkingly as the boy he introduced as Natsu fed two whole meatballs into his mouth at one go. Feeling her appetite drain away, she pushed her tray away and searched for something else to focus on.

"What are they doing?" Romeo looked to where she was pointing and nodded in comprehension.

"They're preparing for today's Chow Time show. They're a pretty popular band here, called Dragon Tale." Romeo's face looked almost smug as he added, "They're from Fairytail."

"So I've heard," Lucy sipped from her milk carton as Romeo went on to point out the band members to her.

"See the shirtless guy? No-that's normal for him. His name is Gray Fullbuster and he's a killer guitar player."

Natsu paused in the middle of his steak just long enough to growl, "He's not that great."

Romeo ignored him. "The one setting up the keyboard is Loke Celeste. He's a real lady's man, so uh...watch out."

"Watch out? Why?" Romeo's cheeks warmed with embarrassment as the blonde looked at him questioningly. "Well...he might come after you cos' you're...um...really pretty."

"Aw, aren't you just adorable," Lucy squealed as the boy squirmed in his seat. "How old are you anyway?"

"Thirteen," Romeo mumbled almost inaudibly. To save himself from further embarrassment, he quickly directed Lucy's attention to the last band member.

"The one on the drums is Jellal Fernandez. Keeps to himself mostly, but he's good at what he does."

Lucy nodded, carefully taking in the information Romeo was feeding her. Her eyes flickered towards the stage again and she was able to put a name to the three boys' faces. She was pleasantly surprised when she saw they were all very handsome.

Something seemed off though, and it didn't take her too long to figure out what was nagging at her. "Romeo, doesn't the band have a singer?"

Romeo scoffed slightly and looked at her sheepishly. "Well-"

"Good afternoon, everyone." A deep voice resonated throughout the dining hall and Lucy cringed as a thousand girlish squeals pierced the air. Above the stage, a large screen came to life, displaying the face of the boy she now recognized as Gray. He had finally put on a shirt, and the small smirk that adorned his face was enough to drive the audience wild.

"This is Fairytail's Dragon Tale, here to perform for you," Gray continued, pausing to wait as his words were met with more screams. "Our singer seems to have gone missing, but we won't keep you waiting. His role isn't important anyway.

As Lucy kept her eyes on the stage, she sensed some frenzied movement from Natsu's side of the table. The slurping noise told her he was in the middle of his mushroom soup and she waved a hand in his direction to hush him.

"But enough talk," Gray's smirk grew even wider and the cheers escalated to an unbelievable level. "This is Backseat Serenade!"

As soon as the words were out, he launched into the first few chords, his band mates following suit. A rich, energetic beat thrummed throughout the hall and just over the music, she heard Natsu clear his throat. "Now that I've eaten, I'm all fired up."

Lucy tore her eyes away from the stage to quiet the boy but the reprimand died in her throat when she saw him standing on his seat, the hoodie thrown back to reveal his rosy locks, and a microphone in his hand.

His grinning face appeared on the screen and his eyes met Lucy's for a second only before he launched into the song.

_Lazy lover, find a place for me again_

_You felt it once before_

_I know you did, I could see it_

_Whisky princess_

_Drink me under, pull me in_

_You had me at come over boy_

_I need a friend_

_I understand_

He leapt onto the table and bounced on his heels as he sang, tearing off his hoodie and tossing it aside as the students screams reached a crescendo.

_Backseat serenade_

_Dizzy hurricane_

_Oh God, I'm sick of sleeping alone_

_You're salty like a summer day_

_Kiss the sweat away_

_To your radio_

_Backseat serenade_

_Little hand grenade_

_Oh God, I'm sick of sleeping alone_

_You're salty like a summer day_

_Kiss the pain away_

_To your radio_

He lowered himself onto his haunches and leaned towards a stunned Lucy, taking her hand in his.

_You take me over_

_I throw you up against the wall_

_We've seen it all before_

_But this was different_

_It's deliberate_

Still grasping onto her hand, he slipped off the table and pulled her to her feet, spinning her a few times before settling her back in her seat, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

_You send me reeling_

_Calling out to you for more_

_The value of this moment lives in metaphor_

_Yah, throw it all_

He made his way to the stage, slapping the hands that were stretched out towards him.

_Backseat serenade_

_Dizzy hurricane_

_Oh God, I'm sick of sleeping alone_

_You're salty like a summer day_

_Kiss the sweat away_

_To your radio_

_Backseat serenade_

_Little hand grenade_

_Oh god, I'm sick of sleeping alone_

_You're salty like a summer day_

_Kiss the pain away_

_To your radio_

On stage, he bumped shoulders with Gray and began strumming an imaginary guitar himself, only to stumble backwards when Gray accidentally knocked into him.

_Backseat serenade_

_Dizzy hurricane_

_Oh God, I'm sick of sleeping alone_

_You're salty like a summer day_

_Kiss the sweat away_

_To your radio_

_Backseat serenade_

_Little hand grenade_

_Oh aren't you sick of sleeping alone_

_You're salty like a summer day_

_Kiss the pain away_

_To your radio_

_(Oh God I'm sick of sleeping alone)_

Lucy watched in awe as the hall erupted into deafening applause. On the screen, she saw Natsu's triumphant grin and the rise and fall of his shoulders as he caught his breath. It was only then when she realized how attractive he was, and this realization was only reinforced by the fact that he had an amazing singing voice.

Romeo chuckled when she finally tore her gaze from him. "That would be Dragon Tale's singer. Natsu Dragneel."

"I figured."

* * *

><p>"I still don't understand why you had a mic in your hoodie." Lucy bristled irritatedly. Natsu had been tailing her since after his performance and it was starting to grate on her nerves.<p>

"For emergencies," Natsu shrugged. "Like just now."

Lucy sighed. "Well either way, I don't really care. And why are you following me around?"

"You're new right? Thought you might get lost, Luigi."

"It's Lucy."

"Right, Luigi."

Feeling somewhat defeated, Lucy turned to him, hands on her hips. "Don't you have classes to get to?"

"Nope, it's Friday so after lunch it's free time all the way." His eyes lit up suddenly and he grabbed her hand. "Come on, I'll take you on a tour of the guilds."

Lucy allowed herself to be dragged along by Natsu. "Blue Pegasus first." He announced, pulling her into the first block. Before he could push open the front door, the doors were flung wide open. The sharp scent of men's cologne pervaded the air and Natsu gagged. Before them stood three very dashing men in suits. They each extended a hand towards Lucy and spoke in unison, "Welcome."

"My, my, it seems as if a fairy has come to play," the tallest one stepped forward and grasped Lucy's hand, pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles. "And he was so kind to bring this sweet flower to us. My name is Hibiki, what is your name, flower?"

Lucy was, frankly quite charmed by the rather flowery reception she was receiving. Her welcome party wasn't too bad to look at either. She was rather put off, however, by Hibiki's overflowing charm and flirtatious words. She withdrew her hand quickly and stepped closer to Natsu. "I'm...Lucy."

"What a lovely name," the shortest one of them all spoke suddenly. He leaned towards her, a gentle smile on his lips. "I am Eve. Such a pleasure to meet you. You have...such lovely eyes."

Beside her, Natsu not too successfully stifled a laugh as Lucy shrunk away from the boy. She took a few small steps backward only to bump into what could only be described as tall, dark and moody. The boy avoided her eyes and spoke softly. "I'm Ren...Its not like I want to catch you. Watch where you're going."

Lucy could only stare at him, stunned into silence. Natsu waved a hand in front of her face. "Earth to Lucy, have you been lured in by their playboy charms? You looked smarter than that, Lucy."

Lucy slapped his hand away. "Don't look down on me Natsu. Who are these people?"

"They are my amazing students," said a voice as smooth as silk. Lucy felt a chill down her spine. She turned around only to come face to face with a short...man. He wore a suit of first grade silk and his red hair was combed back neatly with massive amounts of gel. A flowery perfume stung her nostrils and she sneezed violently. The newcomer graciously offered her his handkerchief, which she immediately refused.

"I am Ichiya, the fine teacher of the most beautiful instrument in the world...the voice." As the man spoke, the three playboys gathered around him, eyes sparkling in utmost reverence and admiration for him.

"Meet Blue Pegasus's singing coach, Ichiya-sensei!" They gestured to him in a flashy show of outstretched hands. "Our master has trained us the art of singing, and it is thanks to him that we are the idols of Blue Pegasus."

"They sure don't lack in self-esteem huh?" Lucy whispered to Natsu.

"Doesn't look like it."

"Now as much as we'd love to have you stay," Hibiki sighed dramatically. "We have some training to do. But we hope you will choose us next week, Lucy."

Ichiya nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, such a rich perfume like yourself...oh, you would be the perfect song to add to Blue Pegasus's repertoire."

"We look forward to your performance next week, Lucy." Eve winked at her boldly, and before they knew it, Lucy and Natsu found themselves standing behind the closed doors of Blue Pegasus's hall.

"Pretty hard to keep up with them," she muttered. "Hey, Natsu-wait for me!"

The boy was already sauntering towards the next block. "You're slow, Lucy. Let's go to Lamia Scale next."

Lucy hurried to match his long strides. "What were they saying back there? About my performance?"

"Oh, that." Natsu folded his arms behind his head. "Next Monday evening is Guild Branding. It's the night all the newbies perform in front of everybody."

Lucy jumped slightly. "What?"

"You'll sing, dance or play an instrument for everyone to see. The guild that likes your performance will take you in, and you get branded." Natsu pulled his shirt sleeve upwards to reveal a tan, muscled arm. Printed onto his bicep was a symbol similar to the one on Levy's shoulder. "This is Fairytail's mark. If we pick you, we'll brand you with this."

"Wait, I have to perform in front of everybody?" Panic rose up inside her. She had never performed in front of a crowd before. Her only audiences so far were the servants from back home and the three bearded men who she auditioned for before receiving acceptance into the academy.

"You're pretty slow," Natsu rapped his knuckle against her temple lightly. "Both in mind and body."

"I don't want to hear that from you!"

"And noisy," Natsu frowned as they neared the next block. "Pipe down, we're here."

He held the front doors open and Lucy marched in, to annoyed to thank him. Occupied with her murderous thoughts of Natsu, she bumped into someone's chest.

Someone's naked chest.

"Aieeeee!" She shrieked, jumping away from the body and into Natsu's arms. He clamped a hand on her mouth and hissed, "Shut up, Lucy!"

"Natsu, I never knew you were one to chase skirts," A familiar voice spoke. Lucy pushed Natsu's hand away and stepped away from him. Before them stood Gray Fullbuster, and as you might have noticed, shirtless. Again.

"Yo, I'm Gray," he introduced himself. "You're the girl Natsu was spinning around during our performance, right?"

"Er, yeah. I'm Lucy." As soon as she spoke, Natsu nudged her aside and snapped rather rudely at Gray. "What are you doing here, stripper?"

"Just came to return Lyon's amplifier. I'm off now to fix the one which you busted." Gray glared at Natsu accusingly, who showed no signs of remorse whatsoever. "Nobody said you could eat my pizza."

"Who the hell goes on a rampage just because someone ate their food? What are you...five?"

"Speak for yourself! Only babies run around half naked in their nappies."

"I'm wearing jeans, bastard!"

"God, must you guys make such a scene in someone else's guild?" Lucy gasped as a scowling man strolled towards them. Of course, he too was shirtless.

"Hey, Lyon," Natsu greeted, fist-bumping the newcomer.

"Your performance was pretty good today, Natsu," Natsu's proud grin withered with the next statement. "For a fairy, that is. Of course, anyone in Lamia Scale could have done just as well."

"You're just asking for it."

Lyon brushed him off. "The song you sang was different from the ones you usually compose though. I was surprised."

"Oh, Loke wrote that one. I've been too sleepy lately to come up with anything. I don't get half the lyrics of Backseat Serenade though."

"Idiots are idiots, after all." Gray sighed.

Lucy listened to this tidbit of information with interest. Natsu actually wrote songs? As rude as it might seem, she didn't think he looked very talented.

"Whose this girl, anyway?" Lyon nodded towards her.

"Lucy. She's new." Gray answered for her.

"Well here's hoping she's good," Lyon said, as if Lucy wasn't even there. "Then Lamia Scale will score a new talented member."

"Oh please, Lucy's coming with us, talented or not!" Natsu argued. Lucy grimaced. They were just pushing her around now. What happened to what she wanted?

"Let's go, Natsu," Lucy eyed him warily as he and Gray began exchanging glares again. They looked liable to start a brawl in Lamia Scale's lobby at any moment. "I want to see the other guilds."

"Yeah, yeah," Natsu allowed her to drag him out of the hall. "Let's forget Sabertooth and head over to Fairytail."

"Huh? Why?"

"I'm hungry. And Sabertooth isn't exactly gonna welcome us with a free meal."

"Natsu, you just ate. And I want to see Sabertooth-"

"Lucy, listen." Something in his voice made her pause in her tracks. She was startled to see the easygoing Natsu glare in her direction. She soon realized it wasn't meant for her, however. She turned her head to follow his gaze, and behind her stood the Northern block, a banner with a tooth-shaped symbol printed on it hung over the doorway.

"Sabertooth is trouble. I won't tell you which guild to choose, but let me say that Sabertooth is not a choice you want to make."

Lucy fidgeted uncomfortably under his sharp gaze. "Why not?"

Natsu appeared to hesitate for a moment. "They...smell bad."

Her discomfort immediately faded and she looked at him incredulously. His stern expression had quickly changed into a blank one and for a second, she nearly believed she had imagined the whole thing. "...Smell?"

"Yup, yup," Natsu's trademark grin twitched to life again and he slung an arm over her shoulder. "Now let's head over to Fairytail. I can smell Mira's cookies from here."

Relieved that he was once again his cheerful self, she let Natsu usher her towards Fairytail. Somehow, however, she couldn't shake the feeling that Sabertooth did more than just smell bad.

* * *

><p>Song used: Backseat Serenade by All Time Low<p>

I've been toying with this idea for awhile and though I'm not satisfied, I'll see how it goes.

Hope you enjoyed it :)

~MySilentVoice


End file.
